Rose Hathaway Vs Them
by Roses Roses And More Roses
Summary: Life's always coming against Rose, isn't it? Rose is about to graduate from St. Nicholas' Academy in Svetlogorsk, Siberia. Wanna see what she's up to? Rated M!
1. Chapter 1

THE IDEA FOR THIS FANFIC COMES FROM "BOARDING SCHOOL IN SIBERIA", BY LILLIAN85. SHE WRITES AMAZINGLY, AND HAS GRACIOUSLY LENT ME THE IDEA. IT'S STILL HER'S, THOUGH. AND TO UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY READ HERS.

I was pacing around the heavily fortified car, almost singing with excitement. We were parked outside the Tolmachevo airport, waiting for Lissa's flight to land. She was to stay with me for the summer. I'd been at St. Nicholas Academy for the last year or so, and it had really grown on me, and I really wanted Lissa to see it, and to be here with me during graduation. Amazingly, both, my mom _and _dad said they'd be there. In fact, Abe had said that he would even be there for my final test. I was touched, and honestly a little weirded out by the gesture.

Though Svetlogorsk was 1342 kilometers away from Novosibirsk, it had been decided that it would be the safest if Lissa landed in a crowded place. As it was, we did have eleven other tickets booked in her name, as decoys. There was heavy security and guardians were _everywhere_, eyeing everyone with suspicion. A few even looked at me distrustfully, but when they saw the glint of silver tucked away in my belt, they looked away quickly.

Dimitri was leaning against the car sexily, all calm and collected, while I jumped around like a seven year old on a sugar rush. "Leaping around won't bring her here any sooner, Rose." He told me, sounding amused.

"Whatever, Comrade. You'd be this excited if it was Ivan, wouldn't you?" I shot at him.

"Not like this, Rose. You're about to bring the airport down and the security right on top of you." He shook his head.

"Tell me, Dimitri, were you ever a child? Or did you just drop out of the sky this size? Don't you ever think of anything fun?" I said, pouting. Before he could respond though, I saw a flash of blonde hair before something light landed right on top of me. Had it not been screaming, "Rose I missed you!" I would definitely have broken its nose.

"Lissa! Oh my god, I missed you too!" I said, hugging her back. She looked beautiful as always, but a little tired.

"Have you not been sleeping, Liss?" I asked, my brow furrowing automatically.

"It's just jetlag, Rose. Where's the maternal streak coming from?" She said nonchalantly, but I knew something was wrong, and I intended to ask her about it sooner or later. Preferably sooner.

"Hello, princess. I trust you had a comfortable flight?" Guardian Katic asked her.

"Yes, I did. But then again, there were so many guardians, I felt like I was going into war."

I sniggered while Guardian Katic looked around awkwardly for want of something to say.

"It's a long drive to the academy, princess. Would you like some refreshment before we start?" Guardian Kulikovskaya, whose name I can only spell, not pronounce, asked her.

"But Guardian K, I thought we'd eat on the way."

"It's polite to ask nonetheless, Hathaway." She said to me. She reminded me of Alberta in many ways.

"Of course, Guardian K."

"K?" Lissa asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Stands for Kulikovskaya." The tall guardian told her. "But Hathaway here has trouble pronouncing it."

"You botch my name pretty bad yourself, Guardian K. Hathaway's not even complicated." I retorted.

She turned away, but I knew she was grinning. She led us to a different vehicle.

I whistled. "Woah, Liss. I know you're gonna follow Tatiana and all," For which I got jabbed in the ribs, "but this is a bit much, isn't it?" I said, staring at the long limo appreciatively.

"Uhm, I asked for a Porsche?" It sounded like a question.

"Sorry, princess, but you, Hathaway and Belikov are going to have some company, and we didn't want you to be uncomfortable." Guardian Katic rejoined the conversation.

"Oh." Was all either of us could say. Dimitri, quiet as usual, held the door open for us.

The first thing I saw in the car was a luxuriant, purple dress. Then I saw the person in it, and my mouth fell open. It was my mother. Only after that did I realize that she was not alone. Dressed soberly for him, was Abe. Abe! In a black suit, with a bright purple tie, pocket square and cuff links to match the exact shade of my mother's dress. I was pretty sure I'd never seen her in a dress before.

"Zmey, what's up?" I said, nodding at my mother. Lissa sat in the back, next to Dimitri, whose callused hands were the only thing holding me back from unleashing the million questions I had, the first one being why, oh why, was my mother in a dress?

"How've you been, Rose?" My mother asked me.

"Not too bad, mom. You?" I refused to accept that I did like this school. I had sworn to her that I'd hate it, and even if it was a lie, I was going to stand by it.

"Fine." Ever the conversationalist.

"How 'bout you, Zmey? You showed up early. I thought you said you'd be here the day before finals?"

"Circumstances change, Rose." He said, winking. I frowned, knowing something was wrong. What does it mean when your parents (okay, maybe not _your _parents,) show up early, together in a limo, flirting like they're 15, and your best friend looks like she's been dragged through fifty feet of shit under rock bottom?

Dimitri's hand was stroking my thigh now, and though I was sure he meant it to be a comforting gesture…that was not how it was received. I blamed hormones. I clutched his had tightly, and hoped he realized what he was doing to me. By the looks of it, he enjoyed my helplessness. He didn't stop, if you were wondering.

Looking like he'd just noticed her, Abe dipped his head in Lissa's direction, saying, "Princess, so glad you're safe."

"Thank you, Abe." They had exchanged a secretive look. What the hell was that about? And really, could they not act a little better? They'd made it hella obvious that there was something going on there.

"And you, Belikov?"

"I'm good too, sir." Dimitri said, conveying that he knew this _something _as well. Why was I the only one who didn't know? My mother was tapping away on her blackberry, but with one ear cocked on the conversation.

Subtle as always, I said into the awkward silence, "What the hell are you people not telling me?"


	2. Chapter 2

First off, thanks so much for the reviews, they've motivated me to write quicker. Sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping otherwise, but Dimitri's not popping Rose an eleven carat just yet. It's too OOC. But there just _might _be another wedding on the horizon…I guess you'll have to read on.

Rose Hathaway vs. Them

"Why would you ask that?" Abe asked innocently.

"Zmey, do I look dumb to you?"

"Of course not, sweetheart. Just wrong. Why would we hide anything from you?"

"I don't know, all I know is that you're a terrible actor, Abe."

"I beg to differ, daughter dearest."

"How many of your daughters do you call that?" I said snippily. My mother shot me her famous death glare, while Abe pretended not to be ruffled. Fine. If they weren't going to tell me, then I'd have to figure it out the other way. I stuck my nose in the air, in typical Hathaway fashion, popped in my earphones and turned the volume _way _up on my iPod. Suddenly, Dimitri's hand on my thigh wasn't doing much to me.

Lissa didn't try to talk at all. She slept soundly, twitching a little sometimes. She also kept muttering, "Sorry, Rose." Her lower lip was trembling. It almost broke my heart to see her that way. Guilt flooded me as I realized how weak she'd gotten without me around. I'd called her every week, and popped into her mind almost every day, but she had managed to sound reasonably happy. Sad lines were etched into her face, worry lining her eyes. Her lips were chewed and chapped, and she looked like she was going to cry. What was going on?

It was about an hour later that we stopped for food. I woke her up, and she looked more tired than when we'd picked her up. She gave me a weak smile.

We'd stopped in front of a huge restaurant in the middle of nowhere. In the last two years, I'd prided myself on having picked up the finer aspects of Russian cuisine. I ordered, and Abe nodded at me proudly. I grinned back at him, but then caught myself. I got up to get myself seconds.

I took my time, and noticed Dimitri coming after me. I braced myself. There was no way I could fend off his assault of pleading eyes and sexy smile. Still, I tried.

"Roza."

"Stop right there, comrade. I'm not listening." I said, turning away. And I wasn't. Except for the fact that there was always a little part of me which was always attuned to him, always connected to his voice.

He went on like I hadn't spoken, because he knew I was listening. "Roza, don't be angry. Please."

His words burned with honesty. Why was I even trying? "Please, Roza. It _is _important that you stay out of this because –"

"Wrong, Dimitri. If my own family doesn't trust me, if even _you _don't trust me with something so big that you and my parents are coming together over…tell me one good reason I shouldn't be mad."

"Why would I keep something from you without reason, Roza?"

"Wrong again, comrade. Do you forget that I'm a big girl? Do you doubt my capability to take care of myself?"

"But I love you, Roza. I couldn't bear it if this caused you the slightest pain." His voice broke.

"If you really did love me, you wouldn't hide things from me." I turned on my heel, and piled fruit on my plate to hide my expression. He'd told me he loved me, and so casually it couldn't possibly be a lie. His words were so sweet they hurt, but I was done not knowing. If they were all so terse…well, it couldn't be good.

"Tell me, Dimitri. Please. Please." I said. Lissa was talking in tense tones to both my parents, looking dangerously on the verge of tears. "I'm supposed to be her guardian. What are you not telling me?"

"I'll talk to your parents, Rose, but that's all I can tell you. All that I can promise." He pled.

"Why not more? They'll hardly tell me anything."

"Because…" I could see he wanted to tell me, but he was bound by a promise.

"You know what? Forget it." I said, irritation ebbing away.

"Roza…" Dimitri said, somewhat uncertainly.

"I'm alright, comrade. I'm fine."

My anger had melted away just like that. "I…uh, forgot my phone in the car. You wanna come with me?"

An evil little smirk lit up his face which I returned. Poor, poor guy. Little did he know what he was in for.

As soon as we'd crossed the room, that is, were out of the sight of my parents, Dimitri's hand was on my waist. I danced out of his grasp, laughing. He followed me, and I ran. I ran around the entire parking lot, laughing and trying to get away from him. Finally, I stopped when we reached the limo.

"You can look, but don't touch, comrade." I winked at him. He buried his face in my hair and groaned. I was pretty sure it was a string of cuss words that he said next.

"Why are you doing this to me, Roza?"

"Revenge? And cause' its fun to see you squirm." I shrugged, which made him even crazier.

"What did I do?" He asked in a last-ditch attempt to get to me. He was trying to melt me with those eyes. Not today, comrade. Not today.

"Oh, Dimitri, if you only knew exactly _what _you did…" I knew how tantalizing I could be.

"You do this to me on purpose, Roza?" He almost fell through the door as he followed me into the limousine. The glass was tinted, the vodka was cold, and we still had two hours or so. My parents had the tendency to behave like children, they could eat dinner for four hours. I'd been outside on a beach in southern California for that amount while they sat and ate, and only Christ knows what else, and tried hard not to imagine what they were up to. I felt bad for Lissa as I envisioned her sitting there, all miserable while my parents flirted, but I couldn't focus on that too much. I just couldn't.

The bottle was already half empty, we were more than tipped. Hell.

So yes, this chapter kinda sucks, but I needed a bridge to take you people to the next one. Next one will be up soon. I'm a total review whore, so you know the drill. Review. Recommend. Rate. Thanks! Muah!


	3. Chapter 3

I have made a decision. I refuse to update again until I get 15 reviews. Now, read and enjoy…it might be a long wait until the next chapter.

It never failed to surprise me how much more of a 'home' St. Nicholas had become to me that St. Vlad's itself. I was more familiar with the glass corridors here, the clipped sounds of Russian, the more frequent laughter, the stone-and-grass classrooms, and most of all, the free-flowing music. On many an occasion, Viktoria had burst into song randomly, and it wouldn't even be something from the radio. I envied her the talent of music, which all Russians seemed to share.

The leafy dorms of St. Nicholas had grown on me very fast, and so had its little nooks and crannies. The cubby holes that were around every corner were useful; any and every alcoholic substance was confiscated around here, so we had our stash hidden all over the commons.

These cubby holes were the ones we'd emptied out and the contents stashed away in the woods, where a full blown, drunken-out party was gonna take place. As I helped Lissa with her bags, I wasn't so sure that that was what she needed at the time. She was stumbling, and wasn't even pretending to be happy any more. She looked tired, drained, and just so _sad. _

"Liss?" I asked. She looked so brittle, I was afraid to even touch her.

"I need to talk to you, Rose. Soon."

"Of course, Liss. Anytime." I told her, grabbing her suitcase in one and her bag in the other. She'd been struggling awfully with them, but Dimitri's obscure, enigmatic, Zen-lesson-giving grandmother, Yeva, had made me carry much worse. I led her to the room I shared with Viktoria, who'd graciously offered to put up a third bed in our room. She'd told me that she'd stay out of the way if I wanted her to; she knew that Lissa and I had a friendship so deep, that a third person was just not possible. I'd told her that it wouldn't be necessary, Lissa was the sweetest person I knew, and she'd happily listened to all of our crazy stories. By the time we'd left to go pick her up, Viktoria probably knew half Lissa's life.

Viktoria was sitting on the bed, reading a magazine. She was very polite to Lissa, and when introductions were finished, they got chatting. They were very comfortable together, like two cousins meeting for the first time. In almost no time, Lissa had gotten Viktoria's side of the story of how Dimitri and I got together, and it looked like she liked that one more. I sighed. _Et tu, Lissa? _

"Liss, you in the mood for a party tonight?" The way she looked, I was almost certain that she would decline. She surprised me, though.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I need. Just get loads to drink…the last time I had any was with you."

"So what do you want to do now?" I asked her. Normally, I'd be bouncing off walls, showing her around the campus, and snacking on pastries made by a fabulous chef.

"I'm in the mood for a nap. Wake me up when it's time to go?"

"Sure." I said doubtfully. Viktoria mouthed that she'd take care of her. She gestured wildly at me to go. I decided that to clear my head, or to at least forget what was bothering Lissa for a while, I'd go to the gym. I hadn't practiced all day long, and finals were in a week. I wasn't sure how I'd do in the theory part…especially math, but I'd survive. I knew that practicals were my forte; even if I failed theory, practical would save me.

By the time I was done changing, I looked like an Adidas brand ambassador. Shoes, shorts, wrist band, and t-shirt, but what could I say? It was all so comfortable. So I started my workout with a 5 mile run, and then headed to the gym to see if I could get a little space. Novices were practicing like crazy, but it _was _Sunday, hopefully I'd have it to myself.

Nobody else would have known that someone was in the gym, but I'd picked up on little indicators over the years. Only one person practiced so quietly.

Hopefully just as quiet, I ran at him and jumped from behind. About half a second before I could 'stab' him, he turned around calmly.

"Had it been anyone else, Roza, I wouldn't have turned around." He said, dodging my repeated attempts.

"So why'd you turn now, comrade?" I asked, using my feet.

"Because no matter what happens, Roza, I will always feel your presence in my heart."

"That line was so corny you should be a Mexican dish." I told him, catching him a good kick in the gut.

Suddenly, he took offense. "Whatever you say, Roza." He grinned, completely blasé, as I dodged his attack. I recognized the tactic; guardians were trained to look as though the opponent was a minor threat, so as to undermine their confidence.

He had me moving all over the gym, and before I knew it, I was backing up against a wall. Uh-oh. It almost certainly meant that I would lose. I tried to move to the side, but he was blocking me. For every move of mine, he had a counter move. Neither giving in, both dedicated.

Suddenly I realized that he was pushing me towards the southern wall, which also happened to be the climbing wall. I tried to move to the side, but he was blocking me. For every move of mine, he had a counter move. Neither giving in, both dedicated.

Suddenly I realized that he was pushing me towards the southern wall, which also happened to be the climbing wall. _Yes! _

Feigning fatigue, I weakened my attempts. Sensing the trick, he kept up his onslaught, but was on his guard. It made his movements a little stiff. Perfect.

As soon as I was close enough to the wall, I leapt of the lower rocks, which gave me the leverage I needed. I miscalculated slightly, and landed up right on top of him, rather than behind. Oh well, you use what you get, right?

He was genuinely surprised by my moves, and more than a little distracted by where I was – my legs were on either side of his right shoulder, my hair had come out of its tie. I swung my hair around so it fell right across his face, and then nipped his earlobe.

"I think I win, comrade."

He shrugged, and I almost fell, except he grabbed me and swung me around so I faced him. He was still holding me, though, so my feet were a good 8 inches off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on while he caressed my face. Slowly, he kissed me. And then again. And again. And again. Oh, god, he felt so good.

"Y'know comrade, I need a shower." I told him breathlessly.

Without a word, he almost sprinted towards the showers. There was a sudden urgency in the way he was kissing me.

When we did reach the showers, he put me down to take his shirt off. I tugged at the ties of his stubborn sweats. I may have been a tad distracted by his muscular chest right in front of my face.

"I do _not _like these sweats, Dimitri." I pouted.

"Ah, well, they weren't there to stay any way." He kicked them off. I pulled my shirt over my head and chucked it to a corner. It didn't occur to me for a second what the stories would be if _Rose Hathaway's _shirt was found in the guy's showers.

"Slowly, Roza. We have time." He growled. His nose was skimming the length of my neck and shoulders, nothing else. I was kissing the small part of his face that I could reach. He had my arms pinned to my side, kissing my forehead, and then going down, all the way to my chest, where he stopped, and went back up.

"_Dimitri!_" I was positively panting now, and he hadn't even gotten to my shorts yet. He obeyed, pulling off my shorts, wait for it…slowly. Here I was, going crazy, and he was enjoying each and every minute of it. A small part of my mind swore retribution, but the greater part was screaming at me to do _something._

"No more."

"But I'm just getting started, Roza." He grinned at me evilly. It was a small place. One person could move about while the other stood still. Imagine that. So, Dimitri: boxers. Me: Nothing. Unfair, right? He wasn't having it.

He turned on the water, the hot jet adding to the fire. Finally, he'd gotten rid of the damned boxers too. He lathered me up, (it only occurred to me later to wonder why her had my favorite body wash in there), and then kissed me again as the water washed it away. And then you know what he did? _He turned off the water, toweled me down, and then handed me a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. _Yes. Really.

"What have I ever done to you?" I asked, holding my lingerie in my hand, so stunned that it didn't even register that he was already half dressed.

"Revenge can work both ways, Roza. The torment in the car was crazy."

"You started it!" I stuck out my lower lip in a puppy face, my sad, sorry (and yes, still naked) butt hopefully melting him.

"All is fair in love and war." He quoted, "And we have all night. Besides, did you not want to get thoroughly drunk before sleeping with me again?"

I refused to dignify that with an answer, then ran across to the girl's changing room to find me something nicer. Oh, he was going to get it bad. And that's something coming from Rose Hathaway.

Did you like it? Did you not like it? Why or why not? Rate, review, recommend, you know the drill.

With lots of love, from Roses Roses and More Roses


	4. Chapter 4

**To anyone who's reading Cullen Summers, I've decided it sucks and am quitting that one. **

**Just so you know, I love you all. You're my very favorite people in the entire known universe. Muah! Henceforth, I shall use bits of all your ideas, so it's yours just as much as it is mine! I really do not want any of you dead from lack of updates, I'm not that cold hearted, so here's the next chapter! (Maybe I'm hoping for 15 reviews again [hint, hint])**

You may have thought I was fuming, but I was pretty calm, all things considered. I was plotting ways to get back at Dimitri, worried sick about Lissa, and wondering what on earth was going on between my parents, but all neatly compartmentalized. I was sidetracked, marveling at my new ability. Well, maybe it needed a little work.

So anyhow, I got back to my dorm where Viktoria and Lissa had already gone. They'd graciously left me a note, though.

Rose,

The drink was calling to us, we had to go. Sorry. Change of location, by the way. Ivan's got a car waiting for you and Dimka in the back parking lot. Don't worry about the excuses and shit, we got it covered. Just get here as soon as possible. And, as always, dress to kill.

With love,

Viktoria.

I stuffed the note into my pocket, and started rummaging through my closet for something to wear. Finally, I came across the perfect dress. A plan started to unwind in my mind. Cue evil laughter. Suffice to say that there was silk, and very little of it.

It didn't take me long to find the jewelry to match, and I was off in the search of the car. I was anxious not to run into any faculty members, so I was taking all the Dhampir shortcuts, which may or may not have involved treetops and ropes. I was on high alert for teachers, but not for students, which may have been the reason that I missed Joe Santiago, a fellow American, who bumped straight into me.

"Well hello, there." He whistled.

"Watch it, Santiago." I winked.

"I am, Hathaway, I am." He said, eyeing me. "Where are _you _headed?"

"None of your business. You?"

"Ivan's place."

"Hey, me too! How're you going?"

"I was thinking I'd hitchhike…nah, just kidding. I was taking my bike, but Laura's gone to the party already, and she didn't fix it."

"You could carpool with me and Dimitri." I shrugged.

He wrinkled his nose. "Uh, Hathaway, I'm gonna end up with AIDS if I carpool with you guys."

I laughed. "Just take what you get, Santiago. We're probably going to get there in about half an hour. Your other option is to walk."

"Okay, then." He said happily, then muttering something that sounded vaguely like _animals._

"Excuse me?" I said, pretty politely, if I do say so myself. Whodathunk? Little Rose Hathaway was growing up.

"You heard me." He said. I stuck my tongue out at him. And then again, maybe not, I thought wryly.

It wasn't long before we found the car. One of the best things about Ivan was his wide range of cars. I didn't know why one person needed so many, but apparently, he did, and he frequently loaned them out to people. The attraction for the night was the sexy Jag waiting for us, Dimitri already in the driver's seat. Do I really have to mention how gorgeous he looked? Yes? Well, he looked fabulous. Blazer-over-jeans style. But you don't need me to tell you how hot he is, no matter what he's wearing, or not wearing, but then again, I'm the only one who gets to find out, right? Right.

"Company, Roza?"

"He didn't have a ride."

"What's up, man?" Joe nodded at Dimitri, sliding into the passenger's seat. Rude! I got into the back, smacking him again and again upside the head. We were already on our way when Joe got tired of it and asked Dimitri to pull over so I could sit in front. Score!

I turned to music on, not realizing which CD it was. It brought back quite a few memories, and while I was blushing a little, and Dimitri was working really hard on maintaining that hard, guardian mask, I realized how great this was for my plan. I grabbed a hold of his hand, rubbing slow circles into the back of his palm. Quite a trip down memory lane, no, Comrade?

I was not expecting him to cave, and he lived up to the expectation. He held my hand firmly, but if it weren't for the occasional increase in pressure, I'd never have known that my plan was working.

All too soon, we reached the place. As it was, the venue was a favorite of mine. A wide open field, a gurgling brook, and the smell of flowers. Besides, there was a huge, house like structure in there, lots of playing space, besides, that was where the drink was. I saw a glint of platinum blonde hair and rushed towards it, a hasty "later!" thrown towards both Joe and Dimitri. I don't know why the abruptness surprised them, they _had_ been studying with me for the last two years.

"Where have you been?" Lissa asked me.

"You don't want to know, Lissa. If it involves my brother, it'll scar your mind forever." Viktoria teased.

I stuck my tongue out at Viktoria, and then turned to Lissa to say, "Don't talk to me about scarring, Liss. You really are w_ay _worse…" I shuddered, remembering the nights I'd been woken up in Lissa's head, believing it was Aaron, or one of the others touching me. "Absolute animal." I proclaimed.

I noticed the drinks in their hands just then, and raised my eyebrow (Yeah, Dimitri taught me how to do that. Finally). They pointed me in the right direction, where I sped off to get me some liquid happiness.

One guess at who I met at the bar. Did you guess Dimitri? Damn geniuses, all of you.

"Hey, Comrade!" I said happily, the bartender pouring me a neat vodka. See, they all know me so well. "

"Me, too." He shrugged. I mock-gasped.

"Dimitri! Since when do you drink your vodka straight?"

"Roza, I'm trying particularly hard to get drunk tonight." There was a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Well, don't."

"What? Why?" He asked, stunned.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll still be mad at you?"

"Roza, sweet Roza, you could never stay mad at me for long. Besides, I can make you lose control in seconds, I'm pretty sure we proved that earlier today." He said arrogantly.

"I wouldn't be so cock-sure, Dimka." I whispered in his ear before downing a fifth vodka and flitting away, leaving an uncertain Dimitri in my wake. Fab. I was grinning widely when I reached Lissa shortly after that. Why was she in an extremely familiar looking guy's arms?

"Holy shit, Fire-Crotch?" I exclaimed.

"Rose, I see you're still as sweet as sugar." Christian Ozera grinned at me briefly before kissing Lissa soundly.

Me? I was flabbergasted.

**Not the best, but not the worst either. Well, that's my opinion, but you let me know, alright? And if the reviews are as great as last time, I'd settle for ten. But would you do me a favor? Since I'm not feeling very loved right now, would you recommend, if you really like it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**I broke my resolve of waiting until I had a lot of reviews because I really wanted to show you guys this. **

**Now, some of the characters (Rose, Dimitri, Christian, Adrian, Ivan, and Viktoria) much as I wish, are not mine, but the others you're going to read about? (Melanie, Joe, Maya, Laura) Those are most certainly mine. So, if you wanna borrow them, let me know, but touch them without telling me, and you will make me very angry. **

** Okay, let's read now. Hope you like it!**

"Surprised, Little Dhampir?" Another familiar face.

"You too, Adrian?" Adrian Ivashkov, prince hottie-always-drunk.

"I never pass up a chance to travel, especially when it's to you, Rose-Mary. Besides, the graduation gift I found was just too good to pass up, and somebody has to take it, right?"

"You got me a present?" I ignored the 'Rose-Mary' thing.

"Of course I did, but now's not the time. Lissa's looking for you." I spotted her looking in the wrong direction.

"Lissa!" I called, waving like a maniac. A sexy-as-hell maniac, but a maniac nonetheless.

Already tipped, she waved me over and screamed in my ear. "We're going to play."

"Uh…kay?" It came out like a question.

"Come on, Roza." A voice said behind me. "It does involve alcohol." Dimitri said in a whisper.

"Look, don't touch, Dimitri. She may be your girlfriend, but for the night, she's my best friend." A very drunk Lissa informed him.

"Of course, Princess." He mock bowed.

So they'd warmed up to each other. Hmm. They led the way to the 'house' where a big table was being set up, Christian sipping on something quite questionable, a bottle sitting innocently on the side. There was already a big group sitting around the low table on soft looking purple cushions. Clockwise, it was like this: Maya, (Ivan's sister) Ivan, Viktoria, Joe, Melanie (Another American, a Moroi), Christian, Laura (A junior Dhampir), Anatoly (More commonly known as Petrov, a water Moroi), Lissa, Dimitri, an open spot, presumably for me, and then Adrian.

There were also 20 shot glasses full of amber liquid in front of each cushion.

"Come sit, Little Dhampir! We're playing 'I Never'!"

_Yes._ Now you may not think of this as a good thing, but meet Rose Hathaway, queen of all games embarrassing.

Ivan was first. Looking straight at Viktoria, he said, "I never skipped class to watch someone else in class." Oh, this was great! I watched Viktoria down a shot. Surprisingly, Adrian, Christian, Melanie and Petrov shot one as well.

"Ivashkov?" Christian asked.

"I'm never even in class, Ozera. It doesn't even count. I just wanted to eat an M&M."

I stuck my tongue out at him."You, glitter face?" I asked Christian.

"Same here. I'm always kicked out of class, so it's not really a big deal watching through the windows." He said, looking straight at Lissa.

"Mel?" I was curious.

"Don't get the wrong idea, guys. I went to check if Nikolas was okay on his first day." I was disappointed. Nikolas was Melanie's younger brother. I knew there was something going on between her and Petrov, but they weren't willing to spill.

"You, Petrov?"

"Melanie." He said promptly, without a trace of embarrassment. Now we were getting somewhere.

"For the record, I knew you were there. You suck at hiding." She shot at him teasingly. He pretended to be wounded.

"Okay, my turn!" Viktoria announced. "I never slapped a guardian for ignoring my sister."

Ivan shot one, and Maya blushed like crazy. "That it? Nobody else is like that over their siblings?" He asked.

"You're the only one, Ivan. You ought to feel ashamed." Maya said, eliciting some laughter.

"Come on, Comrade. I know you've done worse to people for Viktoria." I nudged Dimitri.

"It was never for ignoring, Roza." He whispered back to me.

"Oi, you two!" Ivan pointed in our direction. "Stop that." He wagged a reproving finger at us.

"Fine, fine." I grumbled. "I'll take the next turn." Joe began to protest that it was his turn, but one look silenced him. No matter how badass he was on the field, he was pathetic when it came to girls. One, especially. Any guesses? Nah, never mind. It was Laura.

"I never…made a snow angel." The world ought to know that Dimitri Belikov, too, had made snow angels. In the company of Rose Hathaway. Of course, everyone drank one. Eyebrows rose when Dimitri joined in.

"What can I say? Rose can be quite persuasive." He shrugged. Damn it. I was hoping people would juice it more. Oh well.

"Me next!" Joe said. "I never hit on someone else's girl."

All the boys shot one, each getting smacked by the girl next to them.

" Okay, okay, me next." Lissa said, surprising me. "I never flirted with my best friend's boyfriend."

I shot one reluctantly. It was on a dare a long time ago, and Lissa had been pretty mad. Of course, this was ignored when all of the other girls shot one too. That was, except Lissa.

The first look was shot at Laura. "You, Laura?" Maya teased.

"It was a long time ago, Maya!" She protested.

"Who?"

"Ivan, actually." She mumbled. There was a chorus of 'oooooh's. A fountain burst open behind Ivan while he took bows, the guys congratulating him on bagging them all.

"Enough, Ivan. Your head won't fit through the door. Et tu, Melanie?" I said.

"Petrov was going out with that slut from St. Petersburg. I decided he had terrible choice." She said, some color appearing in her cheeks, but she was determinedly defiant about it.

"How about you, Maya?" She asked.

"Adrian!" She said with a flourish.

"Ivashkov! First off, when did you have a girlfriend. Second, you know Maya?" I said.

"We've met." He said with a glint in his eye that said they'd done more than just meeting. Ivan didn't look happy.

"Viktoria?" Dimitri asked. When she mumbled something inaudible, Ivan pushed her a little.

"Fine, fine. It was Ivan."

"Dude, you have a lot going for you!" Joe exclaimed.

"If it's any solace, I like Viktoria the best." He smiled, raising a hopeful brow at Dimitri, who nodded, letting him know it was okay. Guy talk.

"I've never been beaten at practice by Dimitri." Laura burst out. Each Dhampir shot a few, Joe swallowing six together. Viktoria drank all of hers, bowing out of the game gracefully. Laura only had one, having practiced with him only once. I contemplated on how many I should drink. Finally, I decided on eight, deciding all of the others were ties.

I was slightly panicked, though that may have been some of the eight shots. I realized the fire in my throat was because of the shots, which I guessed were Russian vodka.

"I never ditched my girlfriend to go get a drink." Lissa proclaimed.

Joe drank four, putting him below me. Ivan drank seven, also bringing him way down. Even Dimitri drank two. Not bothering to pretend he was ashamed, Adrian downed everything he had, a big smirk on his face. Petrov lost big time when he had to drink eleven. Amazingly enough, Christian was the only one who didn't touch his shots. I was impressed. I was also pissed at Dimitri.

"Comrade, really?"

"Not you, Roza." He muttered. Not that that made me feel any better.

"I never teased my girlfriend so badly she was mad at me for a full day." You may have thought it was me, but it was Melanie who said this. Whaddya know? Joe had one, Ivan had one, Petrov had one, Dimitri had one, and Christian had one.

Since Lissa was winning, I decided to cut her down by a few shots. "I never hid my boyfriend from my best friend for a day." It seemed Lissa'd only been going out with Christian for two weeks, because she had fourteen. Laura, Maya, and Viktoria also drank deeply. All the girls were down to single digits. How unfair. Laura seemed to have realized this, cause she aimed the next one at guys.

"I never…had a boner."

Each guy ate one. At least. Joe finished all of his. Ivan, barely, cause he drank seven of his nine. Petrov had one remaining. Both Dimitri and Christian drank eleven each, leaving Dimitri at three, Christian at four.

We were all at single digits now, Ivan and I were tied.

"I never drank blood."

Of course, Ivan lost all of his, as did Maya, Melanie, Petrov, Lissa, Christian, and Adrian.

The score looked like this.

Joe: 7

Dimitri: 3

Laura: 2

Me: 9

And since I was the highest… "Dimitri, I think you should drink all of the remaining shots." I pushed all of mine towards him, and the others followed. Yes, my poor Russian god drank 21 shots one after the other.

"Who wants to play Seven Minutes In Heaven?" I asked. Yes. Evil me. I know.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know. And rate, recommend, review…please? I love you guys!**


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